Lennox Lewis, his professional? -----

[NYDominican]

Lennox Lewis, his professional career. -----


How do you see Lennox ranking all time?


Somewhere in the top 20?


Top 15?


Or, better?



Why?

[polecateddy]

Heavies generally don't make the best pound for pound examples, hamstrung by their size. In the heavies Lewis probably beats everyone on his best night. In truth probably a few would have edged him out. So top 5 heavy of all time a safe bet.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Top 10 Heavyweight
Top 100 fighter

[ThatOne]

At the bottom of the top ten...


As a fantasy fighter he's a a dream and potentially a nightmare.

[elmersalsa]

Lennox Lewis to me, is Not a top 100 fighter by any means... A top 15 heavyweight, probably a borderline top 10 in that division

[ThatOne]

top ten hw to be specific.

[gilgamesh]

Definitely a Top 10 Heavyweight

[dempseyfire]

Just outside the HW top 10. Probably wouldn't make a top 100 fighters lb for lb.

[jezzamundo]

He's a lower end top 10 heavyweight for me.

[p4p1]

Top 10 HW IMO.

[Ezzard]

Lewis was never really beaten up. Never outboxed. He lost to two single shots. And he bested many different kinds of opponents in his time at the top.

I can’t see any of the top HW boxers beating him. Obviously Ali was Ali so I wouldn’t go against him but it would be hard to imagine any of the other boxers beating him.

If Lewis had weaknesses it was firstly his chin - though this is overplayed massively…it was good just not great. ..

His second weakness was, like most of the big boys, he didn’t like to fight at a fast pace. Someone who had the chin to take his right hand and could force the pace of the fight would have success.

Lennox had a good reign at the top. Beat almost everyone in the division and would push even the very best to their limits…win or lose

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Lewis was never really beaten up. Never outboxed. He lost to two single shots. And he bested many different kinds of opponents in his time at the top.

I can’t see any of the top HW boxers beating him. Obviously Ali was Ali so I wouldn’t go against him but it would be hard to imagine any of the other boxers beating him.

If Lewis had weaknesses it was firstly his chin - though this is overplayed massively…it was good just not great. ..

His second weakness was, like most of the big boys, he didn’t like to fight at a fast pace. Someone who had the chin to take his right hand and could force the pace of the fight would have success.

Lennox had a good reign at the top. Beat almost everyone in the division and would push even the very best to their limits…win or lose

You couldn't imagine a prime Holyfield beating him, he came close as an old man when Lennox was at his very best.

[The End]

Lewis was never really beaten up. Never outboxed. He lost to two single shots. And he bested many different kinds of opponents in his time at the top.

I can’t see any of the top HW boxers beating him. Obviously Ali was Ali so I wouldn’t go against him but it would be hard to imagine any of the other boxers beating him.

If Lewis had weaknesses it was firstly his chin - though this is overplayed massively…it was good just not great. ..

His second weakness was, like most of the big boys, he didn’t like to fight at a fast pace. Someone who had the chin to take his right hand and could force the pace of the fight would have success.

Lennox had a good reign at the top. Beat almost everyone in the division and would push even the very best to their limits…win or lose

Even Ali I think would have some serious issues with Lewis . He wouldn't be able to box and move on the outside with a man Lewis' size .

[dempseyfire]

Lewis was never really beaten up. Never outboxed. He lost to two single shots. And he bested many different kinds of opponents in his time at the top.

I can’t see any of the top HW boxers beating him. Obviously Ali was Ali so I wouldn’t go against him but it would be hard to imagine any of the other boxers beating him.

If Lewis had weaknesses it was firstly his chin - though this is overplayed massively…it was good just not great. ..

His second weakness was, like most of the big boys, he didn’t like to fight at a fast pace. Someone who had the chin to take his right hand and could force the pace of the fight would have success.

Lennox had a good reign at the top. Beat almost everyone in the division and would push even the very best to their limits…win or lose

Mercer, Vitali and Holyfield in their rematch definitely outboxed Lewis for large swaths of their respective fights (I think Mercer deserved a close but clear decision), as did Bruno before the stoppage. Great fighter but let's not go overboard.

His scalps look better in retrospect than they really were because what has followed in the division is so dreadful. Rahman, Sullivan, Grant, and Botha are just above the likes of Paycheck, Coopman, Rodriguez, and Frank among the weakest all-time HW title challengers (I won't even bring up the drek Wlad has defended against). No other ATG heavyweight lost to an opponent the calibre of Rahman while champion. That says something.

[Crease]

At the bottom of the top ten...

A top 15 heavyweight, probably a borderline top 10 in that division

I concur with both of these assessments. My biggest problem with rating Lennox's record is this:
I believe if other top 10 Heavyweights fought the same fights as him, they would not have lost and probably would have won his fights more conclusively.

Although if you are holding out for the voting majority - they'll say that he's definitely a top 10.

[Ezzard]

Lewis was never really beaten up. Never outboxed. He lost to two single shots. And he bested many different kinds of opponents in his time at the top.

I can’t see any of the top HW boxers beating him. Obviously Ali was Ali so I wouldn’t go against him but it would be hard to imagine any of the other boxers beating him.

If Lewis had weaknesses it was firstly his chin - though this is overplayed massively…it was good just not great. ..

His second weakness was, like most of the big boys, he didn’t like to fight at a fast pace. Someone who had the chin to take his right hand and could force the pace of the fight would have success.

Lennox had a good reign at the top. Beat almost everyone in the division and would push even the very best to their limits…win or lose

You couldn't imagine a prime Holyfield beating him, he came close as an old man when Lennox was at his very best.

Probably misled with my wording...

I don't think of Holy as a pure boxer... I meant guys like Tunney, Jimmy Young, Charles, Walcott, Corbett...that kind of boxer.

I don't see Lewis handling the pressure fighters as well...

[Ezzard]

Lewis was never really beaten up. Never outboxed. He lost to two single shots. And he bested many different kinds of opponents in his time at the top.

I can’t see any of the top HW boxers beating him. Obviously Ali was Ali so I wouldn’t go against him but it would be hard to imagine any of the other boxers beating him.

If Lewis had weaknesses it was firstly his chin - though this is overplayed massively…it was good just not great. ..

His second weakness was, like most of the big boys, he didn’t like to fight at a fast pace. Someone who had the chin to take his right hand and could force the pace of the fight would have success.

Lennox had a good reign at the top. Beat almost everyone in the division and would push even the very best to their limits…win or lose

Mercer, Vitali and Holyfield in their rematch definitely outboxed Lewis for large swaths of their respective fights (I think Mercer deserved a close but clear decision), as did Bruno before the stoppage. Great fighter but let's not go overboard.

His scalps look better in retrospect than they really were because what has followed in the division is so dreadful. Rahman, Sullivan, Grant, and Botha are just above the likes of Paycheck, Coopman, Rodriguez, and Frank among the weakest all-time HW title challengers (I won't even bring up the drek Wlad has defended against). No other ATG heavyweight lost to an opponent the calibre of Rahman while champion. That says something.

Seriously, while I think you're a great poster, I wouldn't buy any of this.

I pulled out a number of old copies from my uncle's Ring collection when away about a month ago... They were saying the same thing 50 years ago.

The HWs today are big and cumbersome. I agree. But the common wisdom within the game is that this is what HWs need to be to have success. Maybe all of them are wrong.

[Ambling Alp II]

Well yes, they are all wrong.
As for the thread about Lewis, he should be regarded as one of the Top 10 heavyweights. Not because he was big, but because he was really good.
I've always thought that he was one of the most misunderstood fighter ever. He gets credit for fights when he should not, and get gets ripped at times when he should not.
He should not have got the decision in the 2nd Holyfield fight. He also should not have got the decision against Mercer. He was lethargic vs Holyfield and fought a dumb fight vs Mercer.
On the other hand, the fights vs McCall should not have been stopped. He got up, was asked if he was ok and indicated that he was.

He routinely gets praised for having a great jab. He didn't have one. When he applied it, it was good but not great. Often, he just pawed with it.
He gets ripped for not having a good chin. He had one. He only got decked twice. One was against McCall and the other was a brutal haymaker from Rahman that would have knocked almost anyone out. He does deserve to be criticized for getting hit with the punch from left field to begin with.

Overall, there were some hiccups in his career. However it's that way with everybody. He was not the very best, but he was up there.

[The End]

Well yes, they are all wrong.
As for the thread about Lewis, he should be regarded as one of the Top 10 heavyweights. Not because he was big, but because he was really good.
I've always thought that he was one of the most misunderstood fighter ever. He gets credit for fights when he should not, and get gets ripped at times when he should not.
He should not have got the decision in the 2nd Holyfield fight. He also should not have got the decision against Mercer. He was lethargic vs Holyfield and fought a dumb fight vs Mercer.
On the other hand, the fights vs McCall should not have been stopped. He got up, was asked if he was ok and indicated that he was.

He routinely gets praised for having a great jab. He didn't have one. When he applied it, it was good but not great. Often, he just pawed with it.
He gets ripped for not having a good chin. He had one. He only got decked twice. One was against McCall and the other was a brutal haymaker from Rahman that would have knocked almost anyone out. He does deserve to be criticized for getting hit with the punch from left field to begin with.

Overall, there were some hiccups in his career. However it's that way with everybody. He was not the very best, but he was up there.

[Giancarlo]

Lewis was never really beaten up. Never outboxed. He lost to two single shots. And he bested many different kinds of opponents in his time at the top.

I can’t see any of the top HW boxers beating him. Obviously Ali was Ali so I wouldn’t go against him but it would be hard to imagine any of the other boxers beating him.

If Lewis had weaknesses it was firstly his chin - though this is overplayed massively…it was good just not great. ..

His second weakness was, like most of the big boys, he didn’t like to fight at a fast pace. Someone who had the chin to take his right hand and could force the pace of the fight would have success.

Lennox had a good reign at the top. Beat almost everyone in the division and would push even the very best to their limits…win or lose

You couldn't imagine a prime Holyfield beating him, he came close as an old man when Lennox was at his very best.

x 2

[Bobbyptsd]

I would have Lewis somewhere around 4 or 5(at heavy, of course). I realize that might be a little higher than most, but I do think that on his best night he beats any of them.

[Uppercut1]

Top 15 HW for me.